Small-Group Half-Day Waterfall Alley Tour with Local Stories from Director Park

The Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area runs for 85 miles (137 km) and would be a national park if it were not a critical transportation corridor. It has waterfalls, mountains, monoliths, terraces, resort towns, vineyards and orchards, with fish, birds and unusual plants and insects living along the river. In the early 1900s, Portlanders drove their Model T cars along the Columbia River Highway to look at waterfalls, on the first scenic highway built in America. Over 4,000 waterfalls are said to exist, many hidden and many a short hike from the Historic Highway. This small-group half-day tour covers the western, rainforested, southern side of the Gorge, called Waterfall Alley. The guide drives segments of the 74-mile (119 km) highway, which was inspired by the Axenstrasse in the Swiss Alps. The route passes the Sandy River, then visits Portland Women's Forum for a classic Gorge photograph, Vista House with its 360-degree balcony, Latourell Falls after a short walk, and Shepperd's Dell. Wahkeena Falls is reached by a short switchback trail through hemlock and Douglas fir, and Multnomah Falls has a combined height of 620 feet. Guests can get wet under a waterfall, look over cliffs and hear stories that locals know. The tour starts at Director Park in Portland.